An Israeli strike in Gaza has killed an aged Palestinian man identified from a touching video that went viral final 12 months of him grieving his 3-year-old granddaughter, additionally slain in an airstrike.
Khaled Nabhan was killed Monday throughout an Israeli assault on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, in accordance with stories. Footage from Gaza journalists exhibits Nabhan’s bloody, lifeless physique on a hospital mattress at Al-Awda Hospital whereas mourners, together with his nephew, journalist Saed Nabhan, encompass him.
Khaled Nabhan drew world consideration after CNN reported in November 2023 on the Israeli army bombing his house and killing his grandchildren, 3-year-old Reem and 5-year-old Tariq. His daughter and the youngsters’s mom, Maysa, was injured.
On the time, the video unfold on social media of him gently cradling Reem’s physique, nuzzling her along with his beard, opening her eyes to kiss them and tearfully telling her in Arabic, “Rouh al rouh,” which suggests “You are the soul of my soul.”
“Our birthdays were the same; we celebrated our birthdays together,” Nabhan mentioned on the time in a video from DOAM, an unbiased media outlet. “She used to play by kissing my beard, and I would kiss her face. But when I came back, she had passed away. I started calling to her, ‘Get up, my dear, get up!’ I thought she was sleeping, but she had died.”
A separate video confirmed Nabhan kneeling over his slain grandchildren whereas they had been wrapped in shrouds in preparation for burial ― fixing Tariq’s hair “the way he liked it,” he informed CNN on the time. Nabhan would preserve pinned to him an earring belonging to Reem, in order that she could be near his coronary heart.
Nabhan’s tenderness within the widespread footage helped to remind the world of Palestinians’ humanity and ache at an early stage of Israel’s destruction of Gaza, which many human rights consultants have since described as genocidal.
After the deaths of his grandchildren, Nabhan continued to dedicate his time to serving to the displaced kids of Gaza, in addition to bringing consolation to hospital sufferers and victims’ households. He created an Instagram account to doc every day life beneath bombardment, amassing 1,000,000 followers by the point of his demise. Some movies present him additionally feeding Gaza’s stray cats and spending time along with his mom.
“His embrace of his murdered granddaughter, Reem, gave us a painful & human image of the loss being inflicted on Palestinians early on,” journalist Sana Saeed posted on X. “Every loss of a Palestinian brings pain, but Khaled’s death hurts a little more today.”
Ahmed Maqdema/Anadolu by way of Getty Photographs
Saed Nabhan mentioned that their neighborhood was beneath tank shelling and that as he ran towards Al-Awda Hospital, he discovered his uncle amongst these killed. Eyewitnesses informed him Khaled Nabhan “saw injured people and ran to help, but he was instantly killed by another tank shell,” in accordance with CNN.
When requested about Nabhan’s demise on Monday, U.S. State Division spokesperson Matthew Miller known as the ever-rising civilian demise toll in Gaza “an ongoing tragedy” however prevented holding Israel accountable for that demise toll.
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Palestinians and activists have posted their personal tributes for Nabhan, some together with artwork that honors the lives of each him and Reem. In keeping with his nephew, Nabhan died whereas carrying, for the primary time, a T-shirt designed for and given to him by a Palestinian American-owned model. The T-shirt reads, “The soul of my soul.”
“This is forever how we will remember Khaled Nabhan and his grandchildren Reem and Tariq. Smiling and happy,” the model, Put on the Peace, posted on X together with footage of Nabhan and Reem laughing collectively. “We are heartbroken but happy they’re far away from this cruel world.”
